1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an articulated omnibus having a two-axle leading member and a single-axle trailing member connected to the leading member by means of a saddle joint, and having an engine which, looking in the direction of travel, is arranged aft of the axle of the trailing member of the vehicle.
2. The Prior Art
German published application No. DE-OS 24 20 203 teaches an articulated bus in which the axle of the trailing member is driven by the engine. Such a driving arrangement provides the advantage of especially uncomplicated design and of a construction offering particular savings of space. Where the friction on the road is reduced, however, this arrangement may cause the omnibus to buckle. Accordingly, special locking provisions are required to prevent inadvertent buckling, such provisions in turn involving correspondingly high costs of manufacture.
It has also been proposed to drive the center axle of an omnibus having a two-axle leading member and a single-axle trailing member. That is, the rear axle of the leading member is driven by an engine via a universal-joint shaft bridging the saddle joint between leading and trailing members. While this drive arrangement constitutes an uncomplicated construction, it has been shown that with the omnibus empty the load on the live center axle is deficient for known wheel bases and overhangs, which makes for poor running stability on the road.